Race Weekend Central

Who’s Hot/Who’s Not in Sprint Cup: 2008 3M Performance 400 at Michigan Edition

With the Chase fast approaching, the number of races left for contenders to reel in points leader Kyle Busch are quickly coming and going. Busch’s 80 bonus points – as of now – guarantees the No. 18 team the number one spot once the Chase begins. However, Carl Edwards narrowed that deficit to 40 with …

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Holding a Pretty Wheel: 1st-Year Blues & Fantastic NASCAR Freshmen

Richard Childress Racing is set to set sail with a fourth NASCAR Sprint Cup team in 2009. The sponsor is on board in General Mills, and Childress expects to name a driver in the next week or two. (That driver is likely to be Casey Mears, and may involve a number and sponsor switch with …

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Did You Notice? Junior Stressed Out? Said Rained Out? & Why Did McDowell Pout?

Did You Notice? That Dale Earnhardt Jr. looks a little haggard lately? In virtually every single interview I’ve seen him do over the past two months, Junior’s answers are so slow and meticulously constructed it feels like he’s processing the question in slow motion. I feel like it’s either one of two things – it’s either …

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Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2008 Centurion Boats at the Glen

Turning right and left didn’t just cause a litany of Cup veterans some angst – it also gave our writers some sleepless nights in how to figure in a road-course finish into their own Top 15 Power Rankings formula. But when all was said and done, there was a surprising amount of movement; and in …

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The Yellow Stripe: 10+1 Reasons to Still Cheer – Why the Rest of 2008 is Still Must-See NASCAR

Monty Python’s Flying Circus was a seminal British TV comedy sketch show that debuted in 1969. Created by the collective creative and comedic genius of John Cleese, Michael Palin, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam, Graham Chapman and Terry Jones, the groundbreaking series and subsequent movies were way ahead of their time. The team had complete creative …

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Matt McLaughlin’s Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2008 Watkins Glen Race Recap

The Key Moment: Dale Earnhardt Jr. pitted under caution on lap 66, handing the lead to Kyle Busch – who would never come close to relinquishing it at Watkins Glen. In a Nutshell: Busch once again spanks the field handily, offering fans a chance for a nice late-summer nap. Dramatic Moment: Unfortunately, the only high drama …

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Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2008 Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono

After the second weekend of testing out the Pythagorean theory at Pocono, the shape of the Chase came a little more into focus. The top drivers in points (“A” students) are solidifying their positions for September and beyond while aggressively going for the win – and the 10-point bonus that goes with it. Meanwhile, positions …

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Voice of Vito: Charting NASCAR’s Championship Chase – Who’s In, Who’s Out… & What’s It All About, Anyway?

The last two weeks have certainly done their part in jumbling up the point standings, as races influenced by, um, extenuating circumstances have given us a look at how the Chase field may shake out as we get closer to that decisive 26th race at Richmond. Last week at Indianapolis, it was the tires that …

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Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2008 Brickyard 400

And the winner of the first annual Indianapolis Heat Race is… Jimmie Johnson! OK, so maybe it was the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, but the way in which the race was controlled by NASCAR – with competition cautions held every 10 laps – they might as well have renamed it the Allstate 25. With …

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Running Their Mouth: 2008 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard

This week, here’s a sneak peek at what a select few were thinking following the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Holding a Pretty Wheel: Dale Earnhardt Jr. or Patrick Carpentier, Marketability Matters

Last week I started my very own hypothetical race team and picked my short list of the most talented drivers racing in Sprint Cup today. Any of the five would make a strong start for a new team for sure, and talent like that should attract sponsorship to the team as well. But I said …

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